The present invention relates generally to mechanical fuel pump registers of the type having resettable cost and volume counters for registering the cost and volume amounts of each fuel delivery and more particularly to a new and improved pulse generator unit for fuel pump registers for generating an electrical pulse train with an electrical pulse for each predetermined amount of fuel delivered for use, for example, for remote registration of the amount of each fuel delivery. The pulse generator unit of the present invention is notably useful with fuel pump registers of the type (shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,444 of Harvey N. Bliss, dated Nov. 25, 1967 and entitled "Register") having a supporting frame with upright side frames and two oppositely facing pairs of resettable cost and volume counters with respective banks of coaxial wheels mounted between the side frames for registering the cost and volume amounts of fuel delivered.
Conventionally, in mechanical fuel pump registers of the type described, mechanical cost and volume totalizers are provided on cross bars extending between the side frames of the register support frame to register the total volume and cost amounts of fuel delivered.
Also, pulse generator units have been previously provided which were mounted on the side of the register and suitably connected to generate a pulse for each predetermined amount of fuel delivered, for example, for operating remote post-pay equipment, for example of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,377 of Peter P. Brunone, dated Apr. 15, 1975 and entitled "Fluid Delivery Control and Registration System". The prior art pulse generator units in general were difficult and/or expensive to install on existing fuel pump registers in the field, and/or were too bulky and/or required modification of the register or register enclosure.
It is therefore a principal aim of the present invention to provide a new and improved pulse generator unit for conventional mechanical fuel pump registers which may be readily installed on existing registers in the field without otherwise modifying the register or the register enclosure.
It is another aim of the present invention to provide a new and improved pulse generator unit which may be readily installed on, and also as necessaary, removed from mechanical fuel pump registers of conventional design.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a new and improved pulse generator and totalizer unit for conventional mechanical fuel pump registers. Also, in accordance with the present invention, the pulse generator and totalizer unit may be used as either a volume or a cost unit.
It is another aim of the present invention to provide a new and improved pulse generator unit which may be used either as a reset version with the pulse generator reset while the register is reset between fuel deliveries or as a nonreset version.
It is another aim of the present invention to provide a new and improved pulse generator unit for converting a conventional mechanical fuel pump register for supplying an electrical pulse train with a pulse representing each predetermined amount of fuel delivered for remote registration of each fuel delivery.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a new and improved mechanical fuel pump register and pulse generator assembly which is substantially the same size as existing fuel pump registers and such that the improved register and pulse generator assembly can be readily substituted for an existing register without further modification of the fuel pump.
Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in more detail hereinafter.
A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relations of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings of illustrative embodiments indicating the ways in which the principles of the invention are employed.